Monthly Archives: April 2010

I read some reviews and interviews about this film. Plus, I saw the impressive film trailer. I thought it was a film worth seeing, regardless the fact I wasn’t convinced that Tilda could play the role.

It’s about a Russian woman who married with an Italian man coming from a very rich family in Milan. She fell in love with a cook, her son’s friend. Her love affairs helped her to find her lost identity. She was rejuvenated. The film ended with her son’s accidental death, she confronted her husband and announced her love for Antonio, left the grand residence.

The operatic film style struck somehow empty key notes in this film. It was exquisitely made – amazing camera work and music throughout the film. But I was getting bored in the first 30 minutes.

Tilda is a talented actress. Her niche lies in roles such as feisty, cold, intelligent, bizarre women, rather than a sentimental, sophisticated and feminine middle aged woman who speaks both Russian and Italian attracting a much younger Italian chef.

She is one of those who has got the perfect body but does not quite translate into sexy languages on the big screens.

She was completely naked in the film. I hardly believe anyone in the cinema felt excited and thrilled. I was yawning half way through the film, trying very hard to stay awake.

Films like this so precisely executed and visually challenged give that very clinical feeling. Where is the essence? Where are the vital ingredients that excite your taste buds? Years ago, when I travelled in Japan, I saw some beautiful cakes and pastries in the bakeries. I bought some. They didn’t taste great – there is something that Japanese can’t copy.

It was a film that satisfied the creators’ ambitions – something that intelligent film workers always wanted to do. Only left me unsatisfied – I expected much more, not from Tilda Swinton, but from what you can truly call a gem of indies.

Whereas Luca paid homage to his home grown celebrated director Visconti (The Leopard, 1963) (Death in Venice, 1971), I was wondering whether it was fair to call his film shallow. The fact was I was so captivated by Visconti’s The Leopard, I did not even realise that film ran 161-minute long.

I don’t know how to rate this film. I went to see it because I am a big fan of Jim Carrey, and I think Ewan McGregor is one of sexiest men on screen that appeal to me.

Jim Carrey:

You either love him, or hate him to guts – you will hate everything I love about him. In real life, he is friendly and behaves pretty normal, according to one of my girlfriend, who saw him at the backstage in an event.

In most of films he played you can see his roots – He did everything he could, move every muscle to attract your attention – something you always see in most standup comedians. Very dramatic and ever changing facial expressions and strong body language.

I remember those days in China: I laughed my knickers off when I saw his performance in the films – obscene, grotesque and pathetic. I could imagine how a little boy was desperately trying to please his audience. He was into acting when he was a child.

Coming back to this film, I think Carrey did his best. Really couldn’t blame him for the low rating of the film. I did laugh for the lines such as:

“Being gay is really expensive.”

Gay love:

Not terribly familiar with gay community. However, having lived in Europe for the last 13 years, I wouldn’t call myself against gays/lesbians. In China, the gay culture had a long history of being underground. At a recent dinner party in London, the hostess L, a charming Chinese lady, told me how the debate went on till early hours next day after she and her German husband H saw a film with some gay content. I assume H is more liberated in the subject whereas L is not.

L would have shut her eyes when she saw those gay intimate scenes. They aren’t that shocking to me – they aren’t much more different from what a heterosexual couple does in the boudoir.

Kinky sex? Nope. No bandage, no chains, no sex toys. I believe a lot of gay/lesbian couples engage themselves in sex within their comfort zones. There is love in the air – the romance between two men. If a man loves a woman,why can’t a man love a man? This film is not a hard-core porno after all. A montage switching from Jim having sex with wife (mechanically) to steaming act with a man was done brilliantly – it was hilarious!

Ewan McGregor:

He was gorgeous in playing a sweet and gentle gay man! In reality, he is a rugged motorcyclist having travelled from London to New York through central and eastern Europe. On screen, he could play straight, gay, bisexual, taking off his clothes completely. At an interview I read years ago, he even admitted his arousal when he was shooting some intimate sequences with leading/supporting actresses. Did they enjoy it? So far, there are no allegations against him! I suppose any women who find Ewan attractive would be flattered by his confession.

In this film, his performance is much more credible as a gay man, compared with Jim, who tried hard to impersonate a gay. Whereas Ewan seemed at ease. He is not typecast for only certain types of roles.

It’s hard to conclude whether the film is worth seeing. Sometimes I just want to unwind in the cinema after having a tough week at work. Jim and Ewan might not have the on screen chemistry to make two love birds look less artificial, this film does have a profound effect on my perception about gay’s love life.

For the first time ever in my life, I felt quite comfortable and natural to see two men kissing each other. Gays are not just about exquisite tastes in fashion, interior design, sports cars and über-tidiness in the household.